


Eye of the Beholder

by stealyourshiny



Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: Albinism, Aleina Hawke, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-22
Updated: 2011-09-22
Packaged: 2017-10-23 23:01:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/256043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stealyourshiny/pseuds/stealyourshiny
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kinkmeme Prompt: I've been looking through all the Hawkes out there and I've noticed something-all the nonconventionally pretty ones are boys!</p><p>Kinkmemers, in the spirit of fairness and equality we need to have some "ugly" girl Hawkes' gettin' some love. Perhaps she's a short stout woman who often get's mistaken for a dwarf? Perhaps she's as tall and flat as Anders? Perhaps she's a huge powerful woman who's unintentionally intimidating? So long as she is the polar opposite of Western European beauty then she is welcome. Go wild anons!</p><p>Bonus if she's aware that she isn't "pretty", but it doesn't completely wreck her self esteem.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Eye of the Beholder

“You know, darling... It’s okay.”

“What?” Aleina blinked and looked up from the desk to stare at her mother blankly for a moment.

“The dance, at the Seneschal’s estate last night,” Leandra prompted, frowning slightly at her oldest daughter.

“What about it?” Aleina turned back to the letters she was going through, furrowing her brow slightly.

“I know you’re probably upset that no one paid much attention to you, darling. I feel bad for dragging you to it. I don’t know, I guess I hoped...” Leandra fidgeted a little and sighed.

“Oh, I didn’t even notice, mother,” Aleina said, waving dismissively. She tucked a strand of white hair behind her ear and handed a piece of parchment up to her mother. “A letter from Bethany.”

“Thank you, dear.” Leandra took the letter from Aleina and clucked, holding onto her daughter’s hand for a moment. “You hands are in ruins! Oh dear...” Aleina heard her mother wander off muttering something about husbands. Aleina shook her head and shuffled the letters on her desk absently before putting them to the side. Her mother had never really bothered about her like this until they moved into Hightown. She supposed it was a disappointment that of her three children, the only one left was the un-attractive, un-marriable one. It didn’t bother her to be ignored at upper-crust parties, though Aleina did wish her mother wouldn’t worry about it so much.

She stood and stretched a little, deciding that she felt like going out and doing something that didn’t involve nobility and her mother. Aleina hesitated by the door, looking at her bow case, where it hung on the wall in the foyer. She finally wrinkled her nose and took it down, slinging it over her shoulder and attaching her quiver to her back. She could get by with her daggers if needed, but knowing Lowtown, The Hanged Man, and just Kirkwall in general, it was probably better to be safe than sorry.

~

“You’re staring again, Broody,” Varric murmured to the elf next to him. Fenris blinked and realised he’d been holding his ale to his lips, but not drinking it. Again. He did that a lot lately. Especially when Hawke was around. It bothered him slightly.

“I was not,” Fenris retorted, sipping at his ale and putting it back on the table before pointedly looking away from Hawke as she crossed the room and flopped into a seat across from them. She smiled at the two men and Fenris felt his heart jump a little. She had the most beautiful smile.

“Hello handsome men, what are you two up to?”

“Oh, nothing special,” Varric replied, grinning a little and glancing at Fenris, who scowled and took another drink from his mug. “How was the Seneschal’s party last night?” It was Aleina’s turn to scowl and she waved at Corff for something to drink.

“Boring. Being forced to stay still for a tailor to make something that doesn’t make me look like I’m twelve, then having to wear the damn thing only to stand around, drinking wine and being ignored is _not_ my idea of fun,” she replied, leaning back in her chair.

“I can’t imagine you being shunted into a corner somewhere and ignored,” Varric replied, raising his eyebrows with an amused expression. “I’m surprised you didn’t do something rash.”

“Oh, I thought about it,” she grinned broadly. “Could you picture the faces of all those stuffy asses if I had pulled one of the decorative bows off the wall and started shooting glasses out of their hands?”

“How could anyone ignore you?” Fenris asked, frowning into his cup. He knew from experience it was almost impossible to do, not matter how hard one tried. Edwina finally brought over Aleina’s drink with a sulky look and dropped it on the table in front of the small rogue.

“Oh, come now Fenris, don’t be silly,” Aleina told him with a fond look. She took a swig of her ale and made a face. “Bethany was the pretty one. I am the odd one, the little broken baby.”

“‘Broken baby’?” Aleina waved her hand dismissively as she swallowed another mouthful of ale.

“A joke. I was sick a lot when I was little, we would joke that I was the broken baby to make up for Carver being the stupid baby and Bethany being the pretty baby.” Her pale blue eyes twinkled at him. “I’m not blind, I know I’m not pretty or beautiful or what have you. Interesting maybe. Father would have said I was striking, but he was a little bias.”

“Aw, Hawke. Of course you’re lovely. For a human,” Varric said, putting a hand over his heart and smiling at her. She snorted and rolled her eyes at him.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Varric. I’m an albino, like Sandal. My eyes are narrow from squinting in the sun too much, my face is perpetually peeling skin somewhere from a sunburn, my nose is crooked, my face is round, and I’m barely taller than you. So I’m either treated like an oddity or a child. I have no illusions about myself, so you don’t have to worry about hurting my feelings by describing me accurately in your tall tales.” Aleina took another sip from her mug and smirked at the dwarf, who rolled his eyes a little.

“As if I would exaggerate...”

“It would not be an exaggeration to say Hawke is beautiful,” Fenris said softly, looking anywhere but at Aleina. Thankfully, it was at that moment that Isabela came into the tavern, loudly proclaiming to Corff that she wanted a bottle of his best. The three at the table all turned their heads to see her approach, and Fenris caught a glance of Aleina, whose cheeks and ears were a slight pink colour, apparently from his comment. He smiled slightly to himself and finished his ale as Isabela pulled up a chair, already regaling Aleina and Varric with a story about her latest exploits at the Rose. She could think what she liked, but no one would convince Fenris that Aleina Hawke was anything but strong, honourable, intelligent, and beautiful.


End file.
